We might not know what's going on with Lumon Industries just yet, but we do know what's going on with Severance's ratings. If you're a fan of the show, or even if you're not, then you're well aware that the Apple TV+ original drama series is one of the biggest, most talked about, and critically acclaimed shows of the moment. The show's new viewership data and milestone prove that fact.
According to a report from Deadline on Feb. 20, the Severance season 2 premiere helped push the show as the most-watched show in the history of Apple TV+, surpassing a beloved Emmy Award-winning series. That's right, Severance has officially bested the great Ted Lasso to rise as the most-watched Apple TV+ original series. The series did so with far fewer episodes.
Based on the number of "unique viewers" Severance received between the season 2 premiere on Jan. 17 and the first-month marker on Feb. 17, the show was able to swipe the crown from Ted Lasso. Deadline also mentions that based on independent data by Nielsen, the series placed at No. 4 on the Top 10 ranking for the week of Jan. 13, taking in 589 million minutes viewed for all available episodes.
Severance becomes most-watched Apple TV+ show over Ted Lasso
Obviously, the hype was already present for Severance season 2 since it had been three years since fans fell in love and became obsessed with the show when it premiered in February 2022. Apple put a lot of promotion into the show to ensure its comeback success, including making the streaming platform free for one weekend to get more eyes on the show and increase subscriptions.
When the news of Severance making Apple TV+ history broke, series executive producer and director Ben Stiller reacted on social media and thanked both fans new and old, those who waited so long for the new episodes and those who have just now started tuning in. The accomplishment the show has made can't be understated, especially with only 14 episodes to its name (as of the report).
Thank you everyone who waited for season 2 and those who have just discovered the show. Your incredible connection and dedication to the characters and details has been so wonderful to share. We all appreciate it so much. #severance https://t.co/XJppWmBINH
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 19, 2025
Ted Lasso managed to hang onto that record for almost two years, after signing off with its season 3 finale back in May 2023. The sports dramedy premiered in August 2020 and became a runaway success, winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for its first two seasons. To say the show was (and still is) beloved wouldn't even be scratching the surface.
The series, which ran for three seasons and 34 episodes, has been in talks to return for a fourth season, with chatter even coming out last month that filming could start this spring. But it's likely that a new iteration of the show would be exactly that and wouldn't look exactly like the show fans fell in love with all those years ago. But I doubt fans would pass up the chance for more!
Speaking of not passing up a chance for more, there's no way that Apple TV+ will be soon parting ways with Severance after the show has become such a force for the streamer. Before season 2 began, Stiller mentioned that the team knows how many seasons the show will run for, and it's basically a given that Apple will allow them to tell their complete story.
Stay tuned for more streaming news and updates from Show Snob?